Life in the Scriptures has a new format that will spend a Year in the New Testament, in a book-by-book journey reading one chapter per day. This approach enables busy people to have daily Bible readings, and to increase their familiarity with the people, places, and teachings of the New Testament. It is a profitable and helpful Bible study method. May God bless it to you.

June 16, 2013

Scripture and Commentary, Week of Third Sunday after Trinity

Monday after the Third Sunday after
Trinity

Lectionary

Morning - Ps. 86, Judges 5:1-18, Lk. 6:39

Evening - Ps. 84, 85, Neh. 5:1-13, Acts
13:44-14:7

Commentary, Nehemiah 5:1-13

The Covenant of God includes duties to
Him and to other people of the Covenant.
We see this easily in the Ten Commandments, for the first four are about
our relationship with God and remaining six are about our duties to one
another. People are not called into an
individual Covenant with God; we are, and always have been, called into the
Community of the Covenant. It is within
this Covenant Community that we are baptized, instructed in the faith, worship
God on the Lord's Day, and celebrate the feast of Holy Communion. In fact,
every aspect of our lives, as a man or woman of God, is lived within the
context of the community of faith. In
the New Testament era this community is called the Church, which refers to both
its universal and local manifestations.
In the Old Testament that community was called Israel, or, by the time of Nehemiah, Judah. One of the problems with the Jews who
remained in Shushan, Babylon, or Egypt,
is that they were no longer functioning within the Covenant Community. Even if they formed synagogues and kept the
ritual law in these lands, they were still branches severed from the vine. The
Jewish community was not to be scattered, nor were its people to be dispersed
into groups in distant lands. They were
to be a vital, living part of the community in the land God had given to
them. Likewise, today, Christians are to
be vital members of the community of faith.
But, unlike the Jews, we are called to go into all the world. We are called to infiltrate every nation with
the Gospel. Those who respond in faith
are received into the universal community through the local part of that
community, the local church.

Received into that community, we now are
under obligation to it. We are to give
ourselves to its instruction, leadership, and discipline. We enter into the spiritual discipline of
prayer, Scriptures, fellowship, sacraments, and worship of the Church. When we fail in this discipline, the Church,
through its ministers, has authority to call us back, and to exclude those who
will not return.

In the fifth chapter of Nehemiah, the
Jews have neglected their Covenant obligations to one another. Rather than working together as brethren in the
Lord, some have been profiteering from the scarce food supply caused by a
drought. They have sold grain at
exorbitant prices, taken land and homes away from their brethren in exchange
for food, and even enslaved their neighbor's children as payment. Others have stolen to feed their families,
while still others have sold their land for food. All of this was in direct violation of the
Law of God and the Covenant duties of the Jews toward one another. Nehemiah
verbally chastises them for treating each other so. He clearly sees this as a religious issue
(rather than a social issue), in which the people are breaking the Covenant
with God.

This is a good place to state that the
laws of the Covenant Community do not always apply directly to those outside of
it. The land of Israel, for example, was
given to the Jews as their heritage, and could not be taken away from its
owners except under very limited circumstances, and even then, only for a
specified number of years. But this does
not preclude buying and selling and investing in land by Gentiles, nor does the
action urged by Nehemiah mean any person is necessarily owed food and
support. Much harm has been done by well
meaning people who have tried to apply Covenant Community obligations to
people, business and nations that are not part of the Covenant. Socialism, communism, and government
re-distribution of wealth are sad and costly examples of this.

Nehemiah urges the Jews to restore what
rightfully belongs to others, and to deal charitably with the poor through
voluntary charitable activities. He
shakes dust from his robe with the prayer that God will shake out of the
Covenant everyone who does not fulfill his Covenant duties.

Tuesday after the Third Sunday after
Trinity

Lectionary

Morning - Ps.89:1-9, Judges 5:19, Lk.
7:1-10

Evening - Ps. 90, Neh. 8:1-12, Acts
14:8-18

Commentary, Nehemiah 8:1-12

Tonight's reading covers an event so
significant in the life of the Jewish people it is worthy to be equated with
Passover, crossing the Red Sea, receiving the
Law at Sinai, and the moral/spiritual revival of Godliness in the time of
Josiah the king. The event is the mass
gathering of the Jewish people to hear the reading of the Law of God on one of
the feast days called for in the Old Testament called the Feast of the Trumpets
(Num. 29:1). The people have gathered in
the street because the Temple
could not hold them, and they have gathered to hear again the words of the
grace of God, and the life to which they are called. To this point, the revival of the Covenant in
Jerusalem has
been sporadic, and based upon general knowledge and memory, rather than direct
contact with the Scriptures. The people
knew they were to offer sacrifices, so they did. They knew they were to rebuild the Temple, so they did. They knew they were to dwell in and possess
the land, so they rebuilt the wall. All
of these efforts were aimed at returning to God and being people of the
Covenant again. They were good and
necessary things, but apart from the Word of Scripture, they lacked unity of
purpose and direction. The people worked
from memory, not daily experience with the revelation of God. All of that changed when Ezra read the Bible
to this great and solemn assembly in Jerusalem. This day is a return to Scripture.

The people had built a pulpit, a tower
for this purpose. It was tall enough for
Ezra to be seen by all the people, and all were silent as he ascended the
steps. All of Jerusalem
and the surrounding countryside were there.
People of great age who had built the new Temple stood beside children. Young families with infants stood beside
grand parents. All were quiet. All were intent on the proceedings. All who were old enough to understand
realised this was a momentous occasion.

When Ezra opened the scroll, all the
people stood, for they had been kneeling in prayerful stance. Verse 6 says Ezra blessed the Lord. This is the traditional, liturgical blessing
said when the books of the Law, called the Torah, are opened in the Temple or synagogues, as
it has been said for thousands of years.
It is sung by the priest and followed by the amen of the people, also
sung in a manner very much like the amen at the end of a hymn today. The amen is the people's assent and
commitment to the prayer. In it they affirm their assent to the meaning of the
prayer, and beseech God to grant their request, or receive their thanksgiving
and worship. It is as to say, "Let
it be so, O Lord."

The gathering was so large it was
impossible for Ezra to be heard by all.
So, at strategic places throughout the area, other priests were
stationed. Watching Ezra, they
simultaneously mounted their pulpits, turned to the same passage of Scripture,
read the same words, and gave the prepared instruction on the meaning of the
text. So, throughout the city the people
heard the Word, prayed, and worshiped as one.
It has been nearly 150 years since the liturgies and readings of the day
have been publicly conducted by the Jewish people as a whole in Jerusalem., and it is a
moving experience. It is another step
deeper into the Covenant, another step back to God. And this time, it is the Scripture, not
memory, which guides them.

Wednesday after the Third Sunday after
Trinity

Lectionary

Morning - Ps. 92, Judges 6:1-35, Lk.
7:11-17

Evening - Ps. 104, Neh. 9:5-15, Acts
14:19

Commentary, Nehemiah 9:5-15

For seven days the people gathered as one
in Jerusalem,
and each day Ezra and the priests read and expounded the Law of God to
them. It is almost impossible to
overstate the importance of this. These people were returning to God. They were returning to the Bible. For hours each day they heard the Bible read
and explained. Ezra probably started
with Genesis and read straight through the five books of Moses, called the
Torah, or Law. The significance of these
books is that in them God invites the Jews into His Covenant, promises many
great things to them, and tells them what they must do as their part of the
"bargain." Basically, their
part is to receive pardon from sin, and be led into a new and better life with
God as their God. God forgives their
sins and wraps them in His everlasting love, gives them a land in which to
dwell, and shows them how He is to be known and worshiped. They are the receivers in all parts of this
Covenant. Even their obligations to love
God above all else and serve Him in Godly worship are more like blessings than
duties. It is light and life to the soul
to know and serve God. The knowledge of Him
is eternal life; His service is perfect freedom. The Jews were re-learning this during these
days in the Scripture, and in learning them, they were re-dedicating themselves
to being God's Covenant people. It has
been many generations since something like this has happened in Jerusalem. Most of the Jews' history is the story of
their departure from the Covenant and return to idolatry and other sins. Times like this are rare, and noteworthy, and
comparable to the Reformation in their scope and significance.

A very important part of this time is
that, as the people heard the Covenant read and explained, they realised how
far they and their ancestors had fallen short of it. More accurately, they realised that they and
their ancestors had simply and intentionally rejected the Covenant, and that
Covenant breaking was the habitual direction of their individual and corporate
life. Their confession was no blanket
statement. Fully one fourth of the day
was filled with hearing the Law, and one fourth spent in deep and honest
confession (Neh.9:3). We notice that the first day of the reading of the Law
was an occasion of great gladness. But
now the Law has convicted them of their sin, and they are gathered to hear it
in sackcloth and ashes, the garb of great sorrow before God. On the first day they rejoiced and
celebrated. Now they confess sin and
fast in their shame. I dare say the Church of our own time could benefit from
such time in the Word of God, and that it would do much more good than most of
the programs and "revivals" found in many churches.

Nehemiah 9:5-15 begins a sermon, probably
written by Ezra and preached by the Levites who aided him in the preceding
days. Having spent the morning hearing
the Word read and the afternoon in prayer and fasting, the Levites return to
the pulpits with this sermon, which they preach simultaneously at various
places to enable all the people to hear. The sermon continues to the end of the
chapter and recounts their history from the call of Abraham (Abram) to their
present hour. Verses 5-15 retell the call
of Abraham and the Exodus, emphasising the grace of God in choosing Israel
and blessing them as His people.

Thursday after the Third Sunday after
Trinity

Lectionary

Morning - Ps. 94, Judges 7:1-8, Lk.
7:18-35

Evening - Ps. 111, 114, Neh. 9:16, Acts
15:1-12

Commentary, Nehemiah 9:16

Tonight's reading continues the sermon
begun in Nehemiah 9:5. The sermon is
basically a short summary of the history of the Jewish people in light of the
Covenant of God. The point of the sermon
is found in verse 33 "Thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly." This conclusion is continued in verses 34
and 35 which confess that kings and people, and even the priests of Israel
have not kept the Covenant, "neither turned they from their wicked
works." Because of their sin the
people are servants in their own land (36).
They are not a free and independent nation, they are part of the Persian Empire and subject to its king. They are forced to pay taxes to support Persia
(37).

It is not just their ancestors who have
sinned; the present generation is just as guilty (37). They have not kept the Covenant. The days of hearing the Law read and
expounded to them have shown them how far they have strayed from the Covenant. So they are confessing their sin and turning
back to God, turning back to the Covenant He made with them. Verse 38 is the beginning of a list of Jews
who intend to keep the Covenant. These
people have made a covenant to keep the Covenant.

This is a tremendous occasion. It represents a true desire to be a Jew in
heart as well as ethnicity. The signers
of this covenant will not be satisfied with only the outward forms of the
faith. Their hearts and lives are now
devoted to God, and they intend to serve Him by keeping the letter and the
spirit of the Covenant.

Every Christian has made a covenant to
keep the Covenant. I do not mean we have
promised to offer sacrifices and move to Jerusalem. We have become keepers of the Covenant as it
is fulfilled in Christ Jesus. We have
confessed our sins and trusted in Him as our peace offering and atoning
sacrifice to God. We have returned to
Him and now dwell in Him and live a new life in Him in which we keep His
commandments, and love His people.

Friday after the Third Sunday after
Trinity

Lectionary

Morning - Ps. 102, Judges 7:16, Lk. 7:36

Evening - Ps. 116, Neh. 13:15-22, Acts
15:31-21

Commentary, Nehemiah 13:15-22

The Jewish people have seen a wonderful
revival among them. They have seen the HolyCity
go from a decaying ruin to a secure fortress with royal protection. They have seen the Faith of the people
revived, and they have seen the people return to God and to His Covenant. There has been much confession and repentance
of sin, for as they heard the Law read and expounded they became mournfully
aware that their ancestors had turned away from God, and their people had
rejected the Covenant. They found that
it was not only their ancestors who had sinned against God; they themselves
were guilty. They had forsaken God. They had rejected the Covenant.

Their repentance was not in word
alone. They matched their words with
their deeds, keeping both the letter and the spirit of the Law of God. They rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem.
They offered the sacrifices in faith.
They kept the feasts and the fasts according to the Covenant God had
made with their forefathers. They
returned to the Bible and made it their rule and guide in life again. The revival is almost complete, but not
quite. The first verses of Nehemiah 13
show that some of the priests were allied with the enemies of God and were
giving the Levites' portion of the tithes to Tobiah (1-10). This was remedied by Nehemiah (11-14).

In tonight's reading we see that the Jews
still had problems with the Sabbath. The
Sabbath is about much more than going to "church" or refraining from
work and worldly amusements. It was
about honouring God, trusting Him to provide for physical needs, and finding
joy in Him.

It honours God by devoting a full day to
His service. Everything else is set
aside to seek and honour God on the Sabbath.
It recognises Him as God, as Lord, and Master and Owner of all things,
especially the lives and property of the Jewish people.

It trusts God by putting their prosperity
into His hands. Instead of spending the
day working on their homes and earning a living, they spend the day with
God. This means they are trusting Him to
provide for them. Instead of working the
farms and crops, they trust them into the care of God for the Sabbath. This also means they are seeking God instead
of following an endless pursuit of the world's goods. Working seven days a week would enable them
to cultivate more land, raise more crops and flocks, make more money, and
become more prosperous. Devoting the
Sabbath to God meant they had to be satisfied with less money, and a simpler
life. It also showed them that some
things are more valuable than more money, and the Sabbath Day was reserved for
those things; for God, worship fellowship, and family.

Keeping the Sabbath instead of spending
it as "a day off" for personal pursuits and worldly amusements is
also an act of faith which finds its joy in God instead of worldly things. It is not a day to play; it is a day for
God. The joy of the Sabbath was the
worship and service of God. These are
lessons the Church of today desperately needs to learn and practice.

Nehemiah could force the Gentiles to stay
away from Jerusalem
on the Sabbath, but he could not make the Jews honour the Sabbath in their
hearts. That had to come from within
them by the grace of God.

Saturday after the Third Sunday after
Trinity

Lectionary

Morning - Ps.107:1-16, Judges 10:17,
11:29-40, Lk. 8:1-15

Evening - Nehemiah 13:23-31, Acts
15:22-35

Commentary, Nehemiah 13:23-31

We learn from Nehemiah that faith is much
more than external rituals; it is a Covenant life with God that includes an inward
disposition of the heart. The Covenant
life is expressed in the Covenant forms.
In the Old Testament those forms consisted of being part of the nation
of Israel, worshiping God in
the prayers and via the Temple
sacrifices, and rituals, and the much deeper sense of love of God above all,
and living in peace and active good will with the Covenant people. In the New Testament the forms are prayer,
Scripture, public and private worship, and the other things by which God draws
us into Himself. In both Testaments, the
outward forms without the inward disposition are meaningless. Going forward in a crusade, Confirmation,
church attendance, and Holy Communion are not the end of faith, whole hearted
Covenant life is. Whole hearted covenant
life is fed and accomplished through the outward forms of prayer, worship, and
the other means of grace, so the heart and the forms feed and strengthen each
other, and both are essential parts of the Covenant life.

We close our study in Nehemiah with the
lesson that we cannot truthfully live the covenant life without honouring God
in our home life. No matter what our
station in the home, we are to devote ourselves to it without reservation. The Jews had not done this. They had intermarried with people who
worshiped other gods and followed other values.
This weakened the Jewish home. It
made an essential part of the Covenant community a non-covenanting part. It robbed the Jews of the blessings of a
Godly home. It robbed the children of
the blessings of being raised in the Covenant.
It undermined their faith, and led them into the sin of idolatry. In a
similar way, marriage between a Christian and an unbeliever robs the Christian
of a Christian home, robs the children of the strong foundation a Christian
home provides, and robs God of another Covenant family.

The Jews saw this in their own city. Children of the mixed marriages were a
combination of Jew and pagan. They had
pagan ways and values that opposed and negated those of the community of
faith. Through them, the pagan ways were
infiltrating the Covenant community.
They were a major impediment to the return to the Covenant. They even threatened to lead the Jews back
into compromise and idolatry as Solomon's wives had done. Their presence in Jerusalem shows that compromise was already
happening.

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A Prayer for Biblical Understanding

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given to us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

About Me

The Rt. Rev. R. Dennis Campbell is Bishop of the Anglican Orthodox Church Diocese of Virginia, and Rector of Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church in Powhatan, Virginia. He is the author of two books, He Shall Reign, and Gotta Run, and holds degrees from Southwest Baptist University, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.